New Earth: Rewritten
by TechnoTanuki
Summary: The Pokemon survival horror fanfic retold – now with more HYPER REALISTIC blood! After a terrible outbreak spreads across the Johto region three trainers find themselves battling for survival against hordes of zombified Pokemon. Rumour has it that lifeboats are still docked at Olivine City – but the trek to safety is going to be harder than any of the three could've imagined...
1. I

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Hello, this is TechnoTanuki, finally back after almost two years. I'll try to make this brief – I'm sure some of you were here when the original version of New Earth went up and I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask about what happened to it. Well, at that time, I was in college, and work was piling up at an alarming rate, so my fanfics became less of a priority. Which is a real shame – I've been told so many times how good New Earth was, and it always made me happy to receive constructive criticism with every update.

So why am I back? Well, I'm a fan of Pokemon ROM hacks, and I recently became aware of a hack called "Pokemon Snakewood" – which was meant to be a zombie-apocalypse Pokemon RPG. Long story short: the game is terrible, don't play it, in fact it was so bad that I decided to review it and post up my thoughts on tumblr (Part 1 can be found on my tumblr, thecrazydusclopslady), at the end of the review, I planned to talk about how even I could make a better Pokemon themed Zombie Apocalypse story – and then it hit me: I already HAD such a story, but never completed it, so I located the original story with a more critical eye. Yes, it's good, but it can't hold a candle to some of my newer stuff at all, and that's why I'm rewriting it: because it deserves better writing, and you, my faithful audience, deserve better treatment. I am so very sorry that I let you down – and this time I'm going to try and see this story through to the finish.

Just one more thing: I don't actually remember much of where I was going with the plot – but I remember most of the mythos concerning the actual zombies themselves. So there are probably going to be some big changes (and new surprises!) to the story. But other than that, I hope that my old fans enjoy the reboot of this fanfic, and if you're new to this story, then welcome! I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I've enjoyed rewriting it!

- TechnoTanuki.

**I**

**Monday, 11****th**** Aug, 4:56 PM**

It all started in the most unlikely of places: a subway train, eastbound, making its merry way across Goldenrod City. Agatha Pridmore had been fortunate enough to get a seat that day. Normally she had to cling to the poles, swaying and swerving to keep herself from dropping her workbooks. But that day she was able to rest them in the safety of her lap. Her weary, silvery eyes watching other people hold on for dear life as the train suddenly halted, flinging the other closely-knit passengers forward ever so slightly. She looked at the text book on her knees; _STARTING POINT – A Guide to Starter Pokemon and When to Give Them _had been printed above a picture of an elderly man in a lab coat on the cover, a wide grin stretched across his creased face. Agatha couldn't wait to get rid of this particular textbook when she got her degree as a Pokemon Professor. The man's expression on the cover always looked too unnatural to her (and many of her classmates agreed with her on this issue).

A plump, balding man in a business suit next to Agatha stood up and waited as people closest to the doors filtered out onto the platform. It was then that she noticed that something was wrong, for passengers behind the man suddenly began to murmur amongst themselves. Some of them pointed at his belt. 'Hey, dude,' One of them suddenly said, his dreadlocks bouncing slightly. 'Is everythin' okay?'

The plump man, who was reaching for the doors with short, pudgy arms, turned to the man with dreadlocks. 'W-What do you mean?' He asked timidly.

The man with dreadlocks pointed a slender hand to his waist. 'I mean your Pokemon – look.'

The plump man looked down and plucked the red and white ball from his belt, examining the sphere with wide, alarmed eyes. Several, jagged cracks marred the ball's exterior and it radiated a deep, chilling shade of ruby as it shook violently in his palms. By now, Agatha was slowly rising to her feet, not even bothering to pull out some of the mousey-brown hair which had snuck into the collar of her lavender sweater, and was inching very slowly towards the door.

The ball suddenly made an ear-splittingly loud, whirring noise and exploded, showering the train in crimson light and shrapnel. Some people yelped and scrambled to get out of the way as metal shards flew across the train at high speed. Then the light took form of a large, bipedal weasel with two tails. It stood with its back to its owner, reeling as it tried to keep its balance, the gold floatation sac around its neck and back swaying slightly.

Nobody moved. In fact Agatha thought that everything looked like something from a surreal painting. All the startled facial expressions and reactions to the Floatzel with its back turned definitely looked like one. It lowered its neck and emitted a low, gurgling sound which made Agatha shudder.

The plump man stepped forward cautiously. 'F-Floatzel?' He squeaked. 'Is everything all right?'

The weasel pokemon lurched a bit, panting heavily. Quick as a whip, it flung its head around, orange fur bristling, and lunged at the plump man, giving him only a second to scream before it plunged its saw-like teeth into his throat.

'HOLY SHIT!' The man with dreadlocks leapt at the Floatzel, tugging at it in mad, fleeting attempts to free his cohort. 'GET IT OFF OF HIM, GET IT OFF OF HIM!' And within moments the passengers were swarming around them in a flurry of panic.

'Don't do that!' Someone cried.

'He can't breathe!' Another said.

'Someone call security _now_!'

But the Floatzel didn't budge, and only seemed to dig its teeth deeper into the plump man's throat every time someone else grabbed onto it. Streams of blood shot through the spaces between the flesh and teeth, spattering against the weasel's pointed muzzle. Some drops even managed to get into its blank, fish-like eyes, painting them a disgustingly pale shade of pink

Heart hammering, Agatha slid past the mayhem and broke into a run. She almost caught her denim jeans on the corner of the seats as she avoided people who were rushing on board to see what was going on. Somewhere, amongst the crowd, the plump man let out a gargled cry and it only fuelled Agatha's fear even more. This particular station wasn't her stop – but she didn't care, she just wanted to be as far away from that horrific scream as possible, and nobody was going to stop her from doing so.

. . .

Normally, Agatha would've been disgusted by the state of her apartment. But when she finally slammed the door behind her and slid down to the cream carpet, the heaps of clothes and papers scattered around the couch were a welcome sight. What the _hell_ had she just witnessed back there?! An image of the Floatzel's milky-white eyes danced around her mind tauntingly as she dragged herself over to the lumpy couch, digging amongst the dirty clothes. She eventually uncovered the TV remote, grasping it tightly in her long fingers, and hoped madly that the news was on.

She was just in time. '… Reports of violent pokemon attacks have baffled scientists over the past few days with growing concern for the welfare of Goldenrod's civilians,' The elderly newsreader said. 'And though there are no clear answers to the cause of this abnormal behaviour, it has been suggested that the aggression displayed by these pokemon emulates the symptoms that occur when a pokemon is infected with a rare strain of PokeRus,' Agatha leaned in keenly, absorbing every word that the newsreader spoke. 'Experts have recommended that people stay in their homes, _only_ venture out if there's an emergency and report _any_ attacks you see to the authorities,' He said. 'There shall be more on this story on the ten o'clock news this evening…'

Agatha glanced down to find that her hands were grasping tightly to the two Pokeballs fastened to her belt. She bit her lip – what if her Pokemon were going to end up like that Floatzel?!

She plucked one off and pointed it at the floor, speaking in a harsh, Scottish accent. 'Come out, Gregor,' And a beam of white light shot from the ball, striking the floor and manifesting in the form of a large, red arachnid. The Ariados chirruped as he looked up at his owner, his fangs gleaming. 'Oh, Gregor!' Agatha sighed in relief. She scooped Gregor up into her arms, letting his yellow and black legs sprawl out on her lap, and peered into his purple eyes. 'I don't know what to do if you became like one of those things!'

Two whole hours crawled by, and Agatha's mind was still as cluttered as when she got home. She eventually got up and let Gregor scuttle around the room for a bit. Then she decided to grab a slice of leftover pizza from the fridge when the streets below lit up in shades of blue. What was going on down there? Agatha strained her vision as she ate. Police cars had been lined up on the road, and she could just make out the tiny, ant-like specks which were obviously people surveying some sort of large marquee. She felt Gregor climb up her leg and perch on her shoulders, squeaking curiously.

Agatha shook her head. 'I don't know what's going on either,' She said. 'But I don't like it – that's for sure…'

A sharp, sudden tapping sound grabbed Agatha's attention. She turned and nervously approached the door, half expecting to find an officer or a doctor waiting to take Gregor away, but found something quite different. Standing in front of Agatha, peering up at her with wide, chocolate-brown eyes, was a girl who appeared to be no older than twelve or thirteen. 'Um… hello,' She began, tugging at the long strands of golden hair which graced most of her shoulders like a pair of straw-coloured curtains. 'Are you the owner of this flat?'

Agatha nodded, stooping down to the girl's level. 'Yes,' She said. 'How can I help you?'

'Well…' The girl dug into the pockets of her butter-yellow dress and pulled out a couple of Pokeballs. 'There's a notice downstairs about the Police checking our Pokemon today,' She explained. 'A-And my mom wanted me to ask you to take hers down for her,' She sighed. 'Mom broke her leg the other week, so she can't do it herself.'

A sinking feeling of dread tightened in Agatha's stomach. Now she knew why the Police were down there and almost kicked herself. She was always in a mad hurry to get the next essay for her biology classes done and thus never thought to read the board. Now she felt like a real idiot for not checking it on a regular basis. She kept her calm façade however. 'Don't worry,' She said gently. 'I'll take them for her, then.'

The girl slowly reached out, offering the Pokeballs to Agatha. 'Please be gentle with them,' She said. 'Mommy's had them since before I was born.'

Agatha delicately took the two spheres, cradling them in her hands. 'Don't worry – they're safe with me, I promise,' She said, standing back up at her full height. 'What's your name, dear?'

'Abby,' The girl squeaked.

Agatha turned to Gregor, who was sitting in the doorway and beckoned to him. 'Gregor, come,' She said, turning back to Abby. 'We'll be back in a moment, Abby,' She promised. 'Just stay here, all right?'

Abby nodded, but said nothing.

Agatha looked down at the stairs – she could take the elevator. But then again everyone and their mother were probably going to be queued up waiting for it to take them down to the ground floor. She took slow and steady steps, with Gregor close behind, and occasionally glanced at Abby until she was too far down to see her any more.


	2. II

**II**

**Monday, 11****th**** Aug, 7:24 PM**

Gliding downstairs, Agatha suddenly became aware of a soft, babbling noise in the distance, followed by almost being blinded by sharp, blue light. A decent number of people stood crowded around a small platform and more were emerging from the building at a steady pace. She felt Gregor climb up her sides, perching once again on her shoulders and began chattering curiously to himself. It seemed that others were in the same position, having released their Pokemon for company and Agatha could just make out inhuman shapes of various kinds amongst all the people – she couldn't blame them, considering the situation.

A figure suddenly popped up on the platform in front of the crowd holding a megaphone in his right hand. He brought it up past his indigo officers' uniform and drew it as close to his mouth as possible. 'Uh… hello,' He began, voice muffled slightly. 'Could I have your attention, please?'

The crowd fell silent.

'Now, I'm sure that most of you have already seen the notice we put up on the notice board today,' The officer said. 'But for those of you who haven't –' He indicated to the marquee. '- We've been brought out here and ordered to perform medical checks on your pokemon.'

Nervous murmuring rippled through the crowd. The officer silenced them with a wave of his free hand.

'Do not panic, these checks are being carried out all across the city,' He explained. 'And the likelihood of us having to quarantine the area is very slim,' He pointed at the crowd. 'Now, please form an orderly queue to the right, and the Goldenrod Police Department apologises for any inconveniences caused this evening.'

Agatha's grip on the Pokeballs tightened, looking back up towards the floor where Abby was waiting she lingered at the back of the queue, praying silently that both of their Pokemon would be okay and soon came face-to-face with the officer who was sending people to different areas of the marquee. He looked down at the Pokeballs with his young, pimply face; he clearly hadn't been in the police force for very long at all. 'Are these two yours, ma'am?'

Agatha shook her head. 'No, sir,' She said, pointing up at the apartment complex. 'Their owner broke her leg, so she asked me to bring them down for her.'

The officer bit his lip. 'I'm sorry, ma'am,' He said. 'But we can't carry out the procedure unless the owner is present or a doctor's note is provided as proof of absence.'

'Are you kidding me?!' Agatha barked sharply. 'Am I going to have to climb all the way back up there just to get a goddamn piece of _paper_?!'

The officer stepped back nervously. 'Again, I'm very sorry,' He raised his hands up defensively. 'It's the department's policy – not mine!'

Agatha opened her mouth again, a few choice words for the officer brewing in the back of her throat, but she was thankfully stopped by the sounds of someone approaching from behind. It turned out to be Abby, who stopped in front of the officer and showed him a small scrap of paper. 'Mom wanted me to show you this, sir,' She said. 'She forgot to give the nice lady here the note from the doctor so everything would be okay.'

The officer glared at Agatha for a moment before taking the piece of paper from Abby, scanning it briefly. 'I see…' He gave the paper back to Abby. 'Everything seems to be in order, miss.'

Agatha gave the Pokeballs back to Abby, who dipped her head. 'Thank you.' She whispered.

Agatha smiled in response.

'Miss, would you please follow me?' The officer asked Abby. 'And as for you, ma'am,' He narrowed his eyes at Agatha. 'I'll let one of our more _mature_ officers deal with you.'

Agatha almost spat at him as another officer approached. She recognised him almost immediately as the man who'd been on the platform. 'If you'd like to follow me, ma'am,' He said. 'We can get this over with, okay?'

Agatha nodded and followed, turning to look one more time as Abby headed to the other side of the marquee.

A table had been set up in the corner, guarded by two women in nurses' uniforms. The officer pointed at them. 'These ladies will be taking blood samples from your Pokemon,' His middle-aged face creased as he spoke, but there was a kind gleam in his emerald eyes. 'Your Pokemon are safe in their hands – don't worry.'

Agatha reached out towards the table and nodded her head at Gregor, who responded with a squeak and made his way down onto the table, using her arm as a bridge. She then reached for the second Pokeball on her belt and pointed it at the ground. 'This is the only other pokemon that I have,' She said. 'Logan, come out!' With that, another Pokemon emerged, but this one appeared in a flurry of glimmering stars. A bubble-gum pink puffball stood on the ground, lifting its lime-tipped, rabbit-like ears up tensely as it looked around. 'Logan,' Agatha picked the puffball up and cradled it for a moment. 'These people just want to give you a check-up, okay?'

Logan reached out with his stubby arms towards Gregor. 'Whis… mur?' He asked.

Gregor squeaked in response and Agatha set the Whismur down next to the Ariados, who then started circling his cohort protectively.

One of the nurses reached towards a curtain which was hooked on a bar around the table and dragged it across, veiling Gregor and Logan. 'So,' The officer suddenly said, gazing curiously at Agatha. 'You have an oddly coloured Pokemon too, I see.'

Agatha glanced at the curtain. 'What, Logan?' She tilted her head. 'Does one of yours sparkle too?'

The officer nodded. He pulled out a Pokeball and showed it to her. 'Yeah, here's mine,' As if commanded, the Pokeball flung open, the light within taking form of a large oyster which was almost as tall as Agatha. Stars glimmered around the oyster's ocean-blue shell for a moment before it began to turn, carefully making sure not to hit the two with the spikes which adorned its body. The oyster gave the officer a grin, its spherical head adorned with yet another spike, and the officer placed a hand on his Pokemon's shell happily. 'This is Pearl,' He said. 'She's a Cloyster – I've had her since I was about your age, ma'am.'

Pearl shifted around so that she was in front of Agatha and the grin on her face grew wider. 'Cloyster!' She greeted. 'Cloy, Cloyster.'

'It's nice to meet you too,' Agatha replied, returning the smile, then looked back to the officer. 'She's very well behaved.'

'Ah,' The officer rubbed the back of his neck shyly. 'Well, she's very used to people, in fact she's great in situations like these,' He said. 'Pokemon can be a real help when a victim or a witness needs some comfort, in fact I don't know where the force would be without them!'

Agatha nodded. 'Yeah…' Her mind wandered back to the man in the subway station and frowned. 'Not like the man with the Floatzel, though…'

The officer furrowed his brow. 'Oh?'

'There was a man on the subway train I was in today,' Agatha sighed, letting the words gush from her mouth. 'A-And his Floatzel ended up attacking him,' She bit her lip as she patted Pearl's head absentmindedly. 'I don't know what happened afterwards – I just ran, too scared to do anything…'

'I've been hearing stories like that all over Goldenrod,' The officer said. 'I don't know what's going on – but I sure as hell hope it'll end soon.'

Agatha didn't respond – she didn't get time to, for the curtain suddenly folded back and the nurses emerged. 'Well, both your Pokemon are completely healthy, miss,' One of them said. 'You clearly take good care of them, might I add.'

Agatha smiled weakly. 'Well, I do try,' She returned Logan and Gregor to their Pokeballs. 'Am I free to go?'

'I don't see any reason why not,' The officer replied, giving her a curt nod. 'I'll even escort you off the premises if you'd like.'

'Thanks, I'd like that.' Agatha said, following him through the crowds. Others were slowly making their way back too, the majority of which looked just as relieved as she was.

They eventually made it to the front doors of the apartment complex, their reflections silhouetted by the light from the police cars. 'Well, I'll leave you to it,' The officer said, tipping his hat. Agatha could just see the fronds of short, coal-black hair poking out from beneath it. 'Have a safe evening, ma'am.' He waved to her and walked back over to the marquee, leaving Agatha alone with her thoughts.

The first thing that met Agatha's gaze as she entered the building was Abby, who was sitting on one of the chairs in the lobby. The little girl's eyes lit up and she ran over to Agatha eagerly. 'Are your Pokemon okay?' She asked nervously.

Agatha nodded. 'Yes, mine are in the clear,' She said. 'And what about your Pokemon?'

'They said that Mom's are fine, too,' Abby said, beaming. 'I'm so glad – I really like them!' They headed back up to their apartments chatting eagerly. 'By the way,' Abby said as they reached the floor that they lived on. 'I don't think I know your name, miss.'

'I'm Agatha,' Agatha said, reaching for the door to her apartment tiredly. 'Just call me if you need any more help, okay?'

'Okay,' Abby opened the door to her apartment and looked at Agatha one last time. 'I guess I'll see you later, then.'

And with that, Agatha was finally left on her own. She yawned loudly, dropping the smile on her face, and headed off to bed, eager to get some much needed sleep. The officer's words swam around her head as she got under the covers, the mattress squeaking slightly underneath her weight. _"I don't know what's going on,"_ His voice echoed in her mind. _"But I sure as hell hope it'll end soon…"_

Sighing, Agatha rolled over onto her stomach and shut her eyes tightly. She had a biology seminar to attend tomorrow – but the thought of facing the streets of Goldenrod filled her with a sense of dread. She wanted to believe the officer's words, but somehow she knew, as an image of the Floatzel's eyes sprinted across her mind, that whatever was happening right now wasn't going to end anytime soon.


	3. III

**III**

**Tuesday, 12****th**** Aug, 8:20 AM**

Sunlight splashed Agatha's face as she made her way down the bustling streets towards the subway station. She'd made sure she had the right books for that day's seminar as soon as she was awake (even _Pokemon Professors 101_ for once, which always seemed to disappear whenever she tried to find it in her bag) and even given herself enough time to cook something decent for breakfast, rather than grabbing a slice of bread and eating it on the way to university. One thing that Agatha hadn't anticipated, however, was how normal everything seemed, despite the ominous events which had taken place around the city. People were going about their daily routines, driving to work, shopping, eating out and so on and so forth. In fact there was only one moment when Agatha caught a glimpse of anything that could count as a reminder of the situation – and that was from a man who was flicking through a newspaper, displaying little to no interest in the headline on the front page ("**POLICE ISSUES MEDICAL CHECKS ACROSS CITY AS DEATH TOLL SOARS"** had been printed in heavy, bolded letters, accompanied by a picture of a marquee with several people lining up in front of a police officer).

A small group of children were crossing the road just beyond the intersection, their book bags swaying in their hands. One was giggling as she spoke and the others soon broke out into fits of laughter as they passed by one of the various hotels scattered around the city. _I wonder if Abby goes to the same school as they do._ Agatha thought. They looked about her age, that was for sure, and the playgrounds would be buzzing with talk about the medical checks. But the air wasn't exactly charged with tension; in fact the city almost seemed quite peaceful and calm.

This idyllic peace was soon brought to a chilling halt, and it all came crashing down when she turned the corner to find a humongous herd of people gathered outside the sandy-coloured subway station. She bit down on her lip angrily – so much for being efficient today. 'What do you think happened in there?' One person was asking.

'I'm not sure,' Another said. 'But one person who made it out said something about the Security Pokemon inside going nuts, or something.'

'Do you think it has anything to do with those medical checks they did last night?' The first person asked again.

'Maybe,' A third voice replied. 'But we can't know for sure – I mean attacks like this are happening all over the place.'

Agatha weaved her way through the crowd until she could just make out what was going on at the front: barricades had been set up around the swarm of people, and several officers were securing the area. Metal sheets had been welded hastily to the entrance, preventing anyone (or anything) from getting in or out without a fight. 'Please try to stay calm!' An officer was saying in an attempt to soothe the spectators, but the look of horror on his face didn't help matters much. 'Everything is under control – just please bear with us as we sort this situation out-'

The sound of something bashing against the metal sheets cut through the rest of the officer's words. He turned just in time to see a grey, human-like hand burst through the sheets, followed by a rumbling snarl from within the building. This hand swung sideways and clipped the officer's jaw, hitting it with a gut-wrenching crack. '_Sweet Arceus!_' Another officer cried and took out his gun, pointing the black muzzle at the arm while his cohorts gathered around their fallen comrade.

Several screams of terror blared out through the crowd and some were already fleeing before things got any worse. Agatha, like most of the others, was frozen to her spot, trying to comprehend what was happening. The officer aiming the gun fired, the bullet went straight through the palm of the Pokemon's hand and an ear-splitting howl rang out, then the arm went limp and slid back into the hole it'd made.

On one of the streets behind the crowd – possibly Oran Street – something exploded, resulting in more screams from the group gathered.

'_LOOK OUT!_' Someone cried. Agatha looked up just in time to see a car swerving onto the pavement, the driver screaming in terror as a pair of claws reached up from the seat behind and latched around his throat, then went out of sight as the vehicle smashed into the jewellery store.

The burglar alarm inside the store wailed as if it was a spoilt child who wasn't getting what it wanted.

'Let's get out of here!' Someone from the back of the crowd yelled, and it seemed that others thought likewise. The group began to scatter like a flock of birds, charging into streets leading away from the mayhem.

'People!' The officer who'd shot the hand shouted. 'People, please stay calm!' But he was drowned out by the yelps of fleeing people. The metal sheets weren't going to hold out for much longer either, they began to shudder and twitch as whatever lurked within was breaking its way out and Agatha couldn't bear to watch any more. Without thinking, she turned and bolted, from the corners of her eyes she could just see the chaos unfolding beside her. There was another explosion in the distance and more screaming, trails of purplish-grey smoke were billowing around the sky from something in the distance and Agatha hoped to Arceus that it wasn't the apartment complex.

The sound of screeching tires and yelps of terror signified another car crash, and Agatha almost halted when a window above her suddenly shattered, a body was thrust out into the air and she could hear the chunky splatters and crunches as the body hit the tarmac. Screams of horror trailed behind, pursuing Agatha as she fled, and a thundering roar bellowed from one of the shops, reducing the glass windows to shards. _This is a dream, _Agatha told herself. _This is all just a bad dream and I'm going to wake up any second now._

But she didn't wake up. The sirens kept wailing, people kept screaming and smoke continued to blot out the sky, and Agatha Pridmore was completely powerless to stop it.

. . .

The apartment complex was surprisingly devoid of life when Agatha finally made it home, but the constant noises around the building were more than enough signs that people were clearly still alive. She managed to catch sight of a group of people, two men, three girls, running past her in the reflection of the glass, occasionally looking past their shoulders with wide, terrified eyes but nothing was chasing them. _Perhaps they're heading home too,_ She thought._ Or fleeing blindly, either one is possible._

To her relief, her apartment was completely untouched, but there was another explosion outside, barely muffled by the walls. Her legs felt like rubber, but she kept going, grabbing the TV remote and pacing up and down as the TV turned on, her hands shaking and slimy with sweat. The familiar face of the newsreader graced the screen, just as serious and rigid as he'd been yesterday. '... Tragedy struck Goldenrod today as a wave of violent Pokemon attacks ensued around the north and west areas of the city,' He began as a map of Goldenrod appeared on the screen, the western and northern areas had been coloured in red. 'People have reported seeing various Pokemon turning against their owners, attacking and, in most cases, mortally wounding or killing people and other Pokemon,' He gave the audience a stern look. 'We join David Anderson live from Goldenrod Department Store, please be aware that some of David's report may be disturbing.'

The scenery suddenly changed to a street with a bright, youthful man wearing a blue baseball cap standing in front of several barriers. Officers in riot uniforms passed by the screen as the man brought the microphone up to his mouth. 'I'm reporting live at what remains of the High Street where, at ten past eight this morning, many of Goldenrod's richest trainers gathered to purchase more of KanLabs's newest product,' He said. 'However, things took a nasty turn when people noticed that some of the Pokeballs around peoples' belts and other places began to malfunction and release their Pokemon – which then turned on their masters and started attacking both the customers and the employees,' The camera shifted, focussing on an officer beside the reporter. 'We're joined by Officer Preston, who was one of the first to arrive at the scene,' The reporter's voice was shaky. 'Officer Preston, what exactly happened when you and your men saw what was going on?'

'Well,' Officer Preston began when the microphone was held up to his mouth. 'We did the best we could to gather up as many survivors as we could,' He said. 'Then we set up barricades to make sure that nothing else can get through to the other side of Goldenrod.'

The reporter nodded. 'And do you have any advice for anybody watching at the moment?'

Officer Preston's deep, brown eyes met Agatha's. 'Stay inside,' He said. 'And stay put for as long as you can,' His voice was colder than ice. 'Don't attempt to check up on your loved ones, and if you're close enough to the city borders, get out as fast as you can and _while_ you still can.'

'… _HEEEEEELLLLLLPPPP!_' A voice suddenly wailed. Agatha turned away from the screen and, without thinking, ran over to the door. She saw a brief blur of a yellow dress fly past the doorway and a rumbling, guttural growl assaulted her ears.

'Abby!' She called and burst into the corridor, whipping around to find Abby behind. 'Abby, are you okay?'

Abby didn't respond, but she continued to back away, shaking her head and whimpering. She pointed to the stairs and Agatha turned just in time to see why Abby looked so frightened.

Lumbering up the last few steps, its body swaying as it moved, was a white, bipedal feline with red markings on various parts of its body. A large chunk of the Zangoose's right shoulder was missing and even though a lot of blood had already dried to the point of looking like giant, black ticks, fresh, crimson drops were still piddling down its arm. The Zangoose looked directly at Agatha with similar eyes to the Floatzel she'd seen in the subway and gave her a gargling snarl, raising its scythe-like claws to its chest slowly. Agatha's instincts kicked in and she grabbed Logan's Pokeball. 'Logan, go!' And Logan emerged, miniscule in comparison to the beefy monster before it.

'Whis, Whismur, WHISSSSS!' Logan screeched, attempting to intimidate the Zangoose.

The Zangoose responded to this with more gargled snarls.

Agatha pointed at the Zangoose. 'Logan, use Blizzard!' And at the sound of her voice Logan inhaled deeply, then released a twister of snow built up deep in his gullet. The Zangoose dodged and leapt up into the air, aiming its scythes at Logan's face. 'Now use Protect!' Agatha shouted. Logan bunched his body together, focussing deeply, and a veil of mint-green energy covered his body. The Zangoose was caught off guard and was pushed back when its claws struck the veil, staggering back to the edge of the stairs. Agatha seized the chance. 'Finish it with Hyper Voice, go!'

Logan charged at the Zangoose, mouth open wide. 'Whis…' He inhaled again, stretching out his body as far as it would go. '… _MUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRR!_' The sounds which boomed from deep within Logan's throat made Agatha flinch – but she just managed to catch a glimpse of the Zangoose being thrust into the air, letting out one final howl before crashing down the flight of stairs. The silence which followed was thick and heavy.

Abby stood, mouth agape, behind Agatha. 'Wow.'

Agatha glanced at Abby. 'Go back inside and see your mother,' She said. 'She must be worried sick about you after hearing the chaos out here.'

Abby nodded. 'But what about you?'

'I'm going to check and see if that Zangoose is still alive,' Agatha replied. 'And make sure that it can't hurt anybody else if it is,' She looked at Abby. 'I'll be back in a moment.' Agatha just heard the sound of a door slamming shut as she descended and almost gagged when she saw the spatters of blood streaked against the white walls. Logan trailed behind nervously, hopping down each step swiftly, and it wasn't long before they came across what remained of their attacker.

The Zangoose had landed on its back, and though it was completely motionless Agatha and Logan kept their distance. One of its eyes had gone lopsided, but Agatha could just make out the blank, lifeless stare amongst the swollen flesh and whatever anger the Zangoose had once possessed was clearly gone. She kicked the large corpse and sent it hurtling down the next set of stairs, just in case it decided that it wasn't dead just yet and wanted to lock horns with Logan again.

She turned to Logan. 'Let's go and check on Abby.' And they returned to the safety of the floor that they lived on while the rest of Goldenrod continued to crumble in a sea of screams and explosions.


	4. IV

**IV**

**Tuesday, 12****th**** Aug, 9:05 AM**

There was another roaring explosion and Agatha managed to catch sight of it this time. Standing in front of one of the glass windows on her floor, she saw it rise up with billowing, orange petals of fire from somewhere on Dragonite Street. She clasped her hands together in horror as the explosion shrank back down into the depths of the city. A trail of black smoke flew upwards in its wake.

She was suddenly thrown back to the days when the friends she seldom talked to anymore would hold sleepovers. Whenever their parents were out, they'd all take movies for the evening's entertainment. Most of these were horror movies, bad ones, too, and they'd laugh their heads off at the terrible CGI and low budget gore. But occasionally someone would bring a good one, like _Sinister Brutes_ – where a group of teenagers battled to survive hordes of undead Pokemon. But the explosions and chaos in the movie was a far, far cry from what was happening in front of Agatha's eyes. The explosions here were far too messy and great in numbers. The deaths so far had been sloppy and too horrific for the film industry at that time to allow.

Another explosion flew up on orange, flame-tipped wings, roaring as if it had been reading Agatha's thoughts. It was only at that moment that she noticed how much her hands were shaking. She almost collapsed, a watery croak escaping her mouth and a river of tears fell from her reddening eyes. 'Agatha?' Came Abby's voice. Agatha's head shot up to see Abby standing in front of her, her eyes growing wide when she noticed the tears. 'What happened? That Zangoose didn't hurt you, did it?!'

'No, no,' Agatha shook her head. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. 'I-I'm fine, really, the Zangoose isn't going to hurt anybody anymore.'

'Come with me,' Abby said, pulling at Agatha's hand. 'Before any other Pokemon attack us,' Agatha let Abby guide her into the apartment with Logan close behind. The blinds on the windows had been rolled down and what little light filtered through struck the cream carpet like long, white daggers. 'I thought maybe if I made it so that crazy Pokemon who can fly can't see into the windows,' Abby explained as she shut the door behind them. 'Then we'd be safer.'

'Bay… leef?' A broad, diplodocus-like Pokemon suddenly appeared from a room somewhere behind the small, kitschy kitchen, rearing its graceful neck and examining Agatha from afar. A sweet, pungent smell wafted across from the leaves around its neck and head. 'Bay?'

'It's okay, Honey,' Abby said. She approached the Bayleef and ran a palm down its smooth, onion-yellow body. 'She's with me,' She beckoned to Agatha. 'This is Honey; she's one of Mom's Pokemon.'

Honey turned her attention to Agatha and slowly lumbered in her direction, her nostrils widening as she took in her scent. She then looked down at Logan and dipped her head in greeting. 'Bayleef.'

'W-Whismur.' Logan replied, eyeing Honey nervously.

Agatha reached out and began stroking Honey's head. The sweet scent became stronger as the Bayleef shut her eyes, a gentle smile spreading across her face. 'She's very well behaved,' Agatha remarked. 'And she's obviously been taken good care of – otherwise the leaves around her neck wouldn't smell so nice.'

'Abby,' Another voice, this one that of a woman, called. 'Is everything okay out there?'

'Hold on a minute,' Abby said to Agatha. She walked past the kitchen and stood where Honey had emerged. 'Everything's fine,' She reassured. 'It's just that I had to let my friend Agatha in so that she'd be safer.'

'Agatha's here?!' The voice exclaimed. 'Oh please bring her in, I want to meet her for myself!' Abby nodded at Agatha, who followed her down the corridor past the kitchen and into a dimly-lit room. There, slumped down in a dirty cream armchair, was the woman whom Agatha assumed to be Abby's mother. One of the woman's legs had been set in a cast and propped up on a very worn stool. Her long, curly, pale-blonde hair was streaked with silver and a white nightdress clung to her wiry figure. She surveyed Agatha with eyes a shade so brown that they almost looked black. 'You must be Agatha,' She said in a mind-mannered voice and offered her a warm smile. 'It's very nice to meet you.'

'It's very nice to meet you, too.' Agatha said. They shook hands as Honey and Logan made their way into the room.

'Oh,' Abby's mother gasped as she saw Logan and pointed at him. 'Is that one yours?'

Agatha picked up Logan in her arms. 'Yes, he's mine,' She stroked the Whismur's head slowly. 'Say hello, Logan.'

Logan waggled his arms at Abby's mother. 'Whismur.'

Abby's mother waved back at Logan. 'Hello dearie,' Then she looked back up at Agatha. 'Thank you for helping Abby and I,' She said, sighing slowly. 'Speaking of which,' Abby's mother tilted her head towards Abby. 'Now, sweetheart, what are you doing back here?' She asked. 'You've probably missed your first class!'

'Well,' Abby bit her lip. 'W-We got sent home early,' She said, her mouth quivering. 'Because the ninth-graders' pet Bunnelby went mad and attacked a teacher.'

Abby's mother put a hand to her mouth, her eyes widening. 'That's terrible!' She exclaimed. 'Was anybody else hurt?'

Abby started to whimper, tears forming in her eyes. 'Mm-hm.'

She ran over and fell into her mother's arms, sobbing quietly. 'It's okay,' Her mother whispered, wrapping her arms around Abby. 'You're safe now, sweetie, you're safe.'

There was another explosion outside. Abby squeaked and looked towards the windows, her face glistening with tears. 'P-People were running everywhere,' She cried. 'A-And Pokemon were _killing_ them, mommy!'

Agatha's mind suddenly welled up with the thoughts of her parents back in Hoenn. Her heart ached at the thought of all the Pokemon at the Day Care becoming mindless monsters, her parents being unable to defend or prepare themselves for it, and how they would be torn apart in the worst ways possible.

Abby's mother stroked her daughter's hair. 'Everything's going to be all right,' She said soothingly. The dread in her eyes was about as subtle as peacock feathers. 'Why don't you get us all a glass of water to drink to take your mind off of all this?'

Abby let go of her mother and stood up again. 'O-Okay,' She hiccupped. 'I'll be right back…'

Abby's mother let her brow furrow as soon as Abby was out of the room. 'Agatha, could you close the door for a minute?'

Agatha's eyes trailed towards the door, she grabbed the handle and pulled the door shut. She looked over her shoulder to Abby's mother. 'What is it?'

Abby's mother ran a hand through her hair and sighed. 'I'm pretty sure you already know what I want to talk about,' She said. 'I heard everything going to hell on the streets.'

Agatha lowered her gaze. 'I witnessed it first-hand.'

'Mhm,' Abby's mother nodded. 'Have you called your parents yet, you know, to see if they're okay?'

Agatha's stomach tightened. 'No,' She said, biting her lip. 'Not yet, I was going to after I finished watching the news but…'

'Go do that, then, your parents are probably worried about you,' Abby's mother said, pointing at the door. 'We can discuss more when you get back.'

Agatha thought for just a brief moment that she'd seen a grim frown sneak across the corner of the older lady's mouth. _I don't blame her,_ She thought. _I feel like frowning myself._

'Can I come with you, Agatha?' Abby's voice called from the doorway. She came into the room and placed three glasses filled with water on the table next to her mother's chair.

Agatha looked towards Abby's mother. 'Do you have a problem with that?'

Abby's mother shrugged and cocked a thumb at the other Pokeball resting on the bed. Agatha recalled seeing this Pokeball during the medical checks. 'She'll need to take Melody with her.'

Abby's eyes grew wide. 'Really?!' She ran towards the Pokeball and took it, pointing the sphere at the floor. 'Melody, come out!'

A vulture-like bird Pokemon materialized, splashing the room with stars. It ruffled its chocolate coloured feathers and raised its sunburnt-pink head. 'Vullaby!'

'You've got a shiny too, I see.' Agatha said, smirking at Abby's mother, who shrugged.

'Is that what they call them nowadays?' She said. 'Back when I was young they were known as "Alternatives".'

'Mm,' Agatha murmured. Well, at the very least she'd learnt something about history today. 'Shall we get going, then, Abby?'

Abby nodded and whistled to Melody. The vulture squawked and fluttered clumsily into the air, landing on Abby's shoulders. 'Sure!'

Her mother sighed. 'Now, Abby, I'm going to send Honey to the front door to keep watch,' She instructed. 'Shout to her if you get into trouble, okay?'

'Don't worry, we will,' Agatha said, smiling. 'We should be out of there in no time, I promise.'

'Oh, and before you go,' Abby's mother added. 'Could one of you bring me the Rattata Poison, please?' She smiled warmly. 'I think we might have another infestation problem on our hands.'

. . .

'Well, what do you think?' Agatha asked as she dug around under the kitchen sink. She pulled out the Pokéman Lantern from within and placed it on the floor. 'Do you want to carry this, or should I?'

Abby took the battery-powered lantern, clutching it against her chest like a stuffed toy. 'I'll hold it.'

Agatha gave her a warm smile and stood up. 'Okay then,' She said and followed Abby back to the living room. Logan and Melody were sitting on the couch keeping watch. 'I think my parents gave me a Trainer's Kit when I turned ten,' She rubbed the back of her neck. 'I don't remember it too much, but I recall placing it in my room somewhere.'

Abby stared up at her. 'Do you want me to look for it?'

'Well, if you want to,' Agatha replied. 'Just holler if you need help.'

Abby beckoned to Melody and they both went into the depths of the apartments. Agatha sighed and slumped down on the couch. At least she didn't have to do everything by herself. And Abby was, without a doubt, one of the nicest kids she'd ever met. She recalled how eager Abby looked when she fetched the poison for her mother. In fact she looked almost like a Growlithe as she'd done it. Her parents' would've loved to have met her without a doubt.

And speaking of which…

Agatha reached down for the phone and pulled it out of its cradle on the coffee table. She drew Logan close as she punched her Parents' house number in and pressed the phone to her ear. The phone shrilled for a few minutes, then clicked. 'We are very sorry,' A robotic voice droned. 'But we are unable to send your call at the moment, please try again later.' And, to add insult to injury, the phone went silent.

Agatha had decided that she was going to throw the phone at the wall if she couldn't get through. But now she suddenly found that her body felt too heavy to even muster a twitch.

'… Found it!' Abby called. She reappeared triumphantly holding the kit under her arms. 'Okay, Agatha, what else do we need?' She froze when she saw the grim look on Agatha's face. 'Agatha… ?'

Agatha slowly turned her head to Abby. 'I-I-It's my parents,' She croaked. 'I… I couldn't get through to them…'

Abby set everything down and ushered Melody off her shoulders. Logan, sensing his owner's fear, jumped onto Agatha's lap, shaking timidly. 'Whismur.'

Agatha bit her lip and embraced Logan, crying for the second time that day. Abby slowly reached down and placed a hand on her back. 'How about we go back to my apartment?'

Agatha looked up at Abby with tear-filled eyes and nodded. 'Yeah,' She snivelled. 'We've got what we needed anyways.'

But things only got worse when they headed back to Abby's place. Honey was no longer standing in the doorway. They found her pacing in the living room and she almost flattened Agatha when she saw her. 'BAYLEEEEF!' She screamed. 'Bay! BAYLEEEEF!' And she ran into the room where Abby's mother was waiting.

Abby was second to scream. She followed Honey into the room and ran out crying. Everything from that moment on felt like it was all happening in slow motion. Agatha allowed Logan and Honey to comfort Abby and made her way through. What happened when she finally saw what remained of the sweet old lady she'd talked to minutes before made her sick to the core.

Agatha had been told by one of her school friends that when a person comes across something horrific they try to focus on memories to help cope with what they're seeing. She now knew this to be true. She suddenly remembered learning about the distribution of Rattata Poison in the late nineteenth century in her lectures. In fact the poison could only be distributed to professionals because it was an instant death sentence to both adults and children if consumed orally.

Now, sitting sprawled out in the armchair with an enormous, gaping hole where most of her organs used to be, lay Abby's mother. The tin of Rattata Poison lay on the floor, the contents had been spilt everywhere. It was clear from the frothy dribble around the sides of her mouth that Abby's mother, having been forced to endure hell like everybody else in Goldenrod, had taken her own life. Leaving her only daughter to fend for herself and a young university student to take care of her.

Agatha slowly closed the door, all colour drained from her face. She made it as far as the kitchen, where she regurgitated most of her breakfast, and slumped down against the fridge, completely and utterly defeated.


	5. V

**V**

**Tuesday, 12****th**** Aug, 12:28 PM**

Moving Abby's mother's body (or what remained of it) to the bed was easier said than done. Granted, the corpse was much lighter thanks to the poison, but it still felt like carrying a boulder. In the end Agatha enlisted the help of Honey, who managed to help lower Abby's mother down using a pair of vines from her neck. Abby, meanwhile, had propped herself against a wall and had fallen asleep with Logan on her lap.

Once Abby's mother had been put to rest the two girls sat in the living room for a good hour or so. Neither one could muster up the energy to talk and even the Pokemon lay around absentmindedly. The only noises that made themselves known came from the streets – the explosions had lessened, but the crackling sound of fire had replaced it in no time. By now the sky was completely black with smoke, having choked the blue heavens with cloudy tendrils. There was the occasional patter of footsteps and panicky shouting too – in fact Agatha could've sworn she'd heard something growling at one point. But looking out the window to find out wasn't on her agenda at all.

It was about two o'clock when Agatha finally found the strength to move again. She got up from the sofa and plodded over to the window, stealing a peek through the blinds. There was not a single soul left on Grinder's Street, and it looked like several shops had been ransacked too. _At least we're safe up here…_ Agatha thought.

_But for how much longer?_ Her conscience whispered. _Sure, as long as the shops are bountiful you're safe, but once they're empty people will turn to other places like this nice, cosy apartment._

Agatha glanced at Abby. She'd never realised how fragile she actually looked curled up like that.

_And what about her, hmm?_ Her conscience continued. _You won't be able to protect her forever, you know._

'I know that.' Agatha murmured to herself.

What had Officer Preston said on the news again? _"If you're close enough to the city borders, get out as fast as you can and while you still can."_

A heavy feeling dragged at Agatha's heart. She slowly walked over to Abby and knelt down beside her. 'Abby?' She said, gently shaking the young girl. 'Abby, can you hear me?'

Abby gave a slight grunt and opened her eyes. '… Yeah?'

Agatha sighed. 'I know you're not going to like this,' She began. 'But I don't think we should stay here for much longer.'

Abby sat up and rubbed her eyes. 'We're going to leave?!' She bit her lip and pointed at her mother's room. 'B-But what about mommy?'

'I…' Agatha looked towards the corridor. 'I think your mother would've wanted you to get out of here,' She said, placing her hands on Abby's shoulders. 'I mean, she'd think of your safety, right?'

Abby slumped back. 'But where are we going to go?'

Agatha hadn't thought about that. She pondered for a brief moment and glanced outside. 'We should take a look at the news,' She replied. 'Do you have a radio?'

Abby nodded and got up. But Honey, who had been lying on the floor, shook her head. 'Bayleef,' She said, looking at Abby. 'Bay, Bayleef.'

Agatha only understood what Honey was trying to say when she went into the room where the body was. She came plodding out with a small, battered transistor radio in her vines. Abby approached the Bayleef and hugged her. 'Thank you, Honey.'

They all crowded around the radio as Agatha switched it on. At first there was nothing but the crackle of static, but fiddling with the tuning dial proved fruitful. '… And now, an emergency broadcast by the Johto Defence Agency,' The announcer said in a muffled voice. Agatha recognised this voice to be that of Archie Newman, who always joked around when the news came on. There was no jovial laughter this time. 'This has been Archie Newman, signing off. Stay safe everybody.'

There were several shrill bleeps, then silence. Abby looked at Agatha, then began stroking Melody's plumage again. 'This is a message by the Johto Defence Agency,' A stern, low voice began. 'A state of emergency has been declared across the western side of Johto. This is not a test,' The voice said. 'If you are near town borders, please head towards the closest Route Gate where you will be escorted to Olivine. From there boats will be launched, heading towards Unova.'

'There's your answer.' Agatha said to Abby.

'Do not attempt to check on your loved ones,' The voice instructed. 'And stay away from areas where Pokemon activity is high.'

_Yeah, right,_ Agatha thought. _Goldenrod's probably swarming with Pokemon by now._

'I repeat: _this is not a test_.' The voice insisted. Then the message started over again.

Abby let out a sigh and slumped back against the arm of the sofa. She held her knees tightly. 'Are we near the borders?'

Agatha bit her lip again. 'Not really,' She said. 'I think we're slap-bang in the middle of town, but not anywhere near the shopping district or major buildings other than the station.'

The sound of something smashing and a muffled thumping noise cut through the conversation. Both Agatha and Abby froze, eyes darting up towards the ceiling where it came from. Agatha could just make out the sounds of shuffling in the flat above.

Abby started to cry again. 'I'm scared…' She whimpered.

Agatha knelt down and embraced her tightly. 'Stay as quiet as possible,' She whispered. She searched around for the Trainer's Kit, having been forgotten due to more pressing matters. It had been left near the kitchen. Agatha reached for the small, navy-blue holdall and brought it to Abby. 'Take this – it should have everything you're going to need.'

'But what about you?' Abby asked as she took it.

Agatha shrugged. 'I'll find something, don't worry,' She beckoned to Logan and they headed back to the kitchen. She almost flinched when she heard another loud thump. Fiddling around in the drawers she managed to find a couple of cooking knives. There was no way in hell that they'd be useful against Pokemon, but at least they had a chance to defend themselves if their Pokemon couldn't anymore. She handed one of the knives to Abby. 'Keep hold of it, we hopefully won't have to use them, but you can never be sure.' Then she took the Pokéman Lantern in her free hand.

Abby turned to her mother's room. 'Can I say goodbye to mom?'

Agatha's heart began to ache. 'Of course, sweetie.'

She guided Abby into her mother's room. The corpse was still there, now covered with bed sheets. But despite the circumstances, the room felt oddly peaceful. Abby approached her mother. 'Hey mom,' She whimpered. 'I-I'm going to leave soon… and I wanted to see you one last time…' She clenched her fists. 'I'm sorry we're going so soon, but we'll come back, I promise!' By now she was staring to sob. She wiped her eyes with her arms. 'Don't worry, Agatha's going to take care of me,' She looked towards Agatha. 'Right Agatha?'

Agatha said nothing, but she nodded.

'And I'll keep Honey and Melody safe for you!' She continued, walking over and taking Honey's Pokeball from the bedside table. 'Goodbye, mommy,' She whispered. 'I love you.'

Agatha put an arm around Abby's shoulder and guided her out of her mother's final resting place. She shut the door behind them. Logan, Honey and Melody were all waiting near the window. Agatha took out Logan's Pokeball and pointed it at him. 'Logan, return!'

Abby did the same with Honey, but kept Melody perched on her shoulder. 'Melody's light enough,' She insisted. 'And she can start fighting for us while we get our other Pokemon ready.' Although she didn't say it, the desperate gleam in her eyes revealed a third reason for Melody's presence: emotional support.

They left the apartment as quietly as they could, but the thumping upstairs was starting to get louder. Agatha feared that whatever was up there would chase them downstairs. But nothing followed them except the sound of silence, trailing behind like an unwanted spectre.

. . .

Grinder's Street was completely deserted. The only moving things besides Abby and Agatha were the flickering lights of a shop just beyond the apartments. Slateport Avenue, however, was another matter. There was a raid going on in a building that looked like the saloons from old Western movies. **THE RAMPAGING GYARADOS **had been printed on the front. Agatha could just make out the figure of something (or someone) being tossed across the room. There was a series of scornful shouts flying back and forth. 'Why are they doing that, Agatha?' Abby asked.

'Because they're afraid, people act like that when they're frightened sometimes,' Agatha replied calmly. She ran a hand through her hair. 'Come on, let's keep going.'

They didn't see much in the way of Pokemon. In fact the only time Agatha saw one was down near Coronet Street. A small, orange dog Pokemon was trotting cautiously across the street. It began digging its cream-coloured muzzle through a turned over trash can. The Growlithe's black stripes were almost covered by grime and dirt. It had probably lived on the streets for years. It watched as the two girls passed by calmly, then resumed its feasting as the city around it went to hell.

. . .

'We should get under cover soon,' Agatha said as she looked up at the sky. It looked much worse now that the sun was setting. Shards of orange had begun peering through the smoke as if they were the eyes of monsters. 'I don't want us to be out here in the dark.'

They eventually decided to set up camp in the shop that looters were least likely to target: A small café that had probably already been picked clean. The front window had shattered, making the sign on the glass illegible, and several tables and chairs had been overturned. 'I'm getting hungry.' Abby whined.

'Yeah, same here,' Agatha replied calmly. 'I'll go check the kitchen and see if I can find something.'

She went behind the counter and approached the door which probably led to the kitchens. But what she didn't anticipate was suddenly finding a gun pointed at her when she opened it. 'Freeze,' A familiar voice ordered. 'Come any closer and I'll shoot.'

An officer stood near the ovens, panting heavily. She saw something move from behind him and let out a sigh of relief when she realised it was a Shiny Cloyster. The man's middle-aged face sparked her memory instantly. 'It's all right, we're not thieves!' She said, raising her hands to her chest. 'A-And I think we've met before, during the medical checks, right?'

The officer lowered his gun slightly. He studied Agatha, then nodded. 'Yes… I do recall you,' He said. 'Weren't you the one with the Whismur?'

Agatha nodded. 'That's right.'

'Agatha?' Abby asked from behind. She joined them in the doorway. 'What's going on?'

The officer lowered the gun even more. 'You didn't tell me you had a child.'

An awkward silence fell upon the room.

'Mom's not here anymore,' Abby said, lowering her gaze. 'Agatha's taking care of me now.'

'Cloyster,' The Shiny Cloyster said, approaching Abby. There was a sympathetic look on her face. 'Cloy, Cloyster.'

'How bad is it getting out there?' The officer asked.

'Goldenrod's burning,' Agatha said. 'We're thinking that maybe it would be a good idea to head to Olivine.'

'They told us about it on the radio.' Abby added.

'We're stopping for the night,' She continued. 'And I don't want to be out there in the dark.'

The officer smiled a bit. 'That's a wise move,' He said. 'Funnily enough I was thinking of doing the same, right Pearl?'

The Shiny Cloyster nodded at him. 'Cloy.'

They talked for a little more. The officer's name was Joseph Margiotta. His squad had been called out to deal with Pokemon attacks in the Underground, which of course turned into one big disaster. They got as far as marketplace before they were and Joseph was the only one to make it out unscathed.

'It was awful,' Joseph said as he investigated the fridge. 'I don't think I've ever seen Pokemon move that quick,' He pulled out an opened tin of Ravioli. 'Do any of you mind eating this cold?'

Both Agatha and Abby shook their heads.

'Good, we might be eating stuff like this for a while,' He said, taking out another two cans. 'This stuff kept me alive at college, you know.'

Agatha ate what she could, but her mind kept wandering back to her parents. She only got through half of the ravioli before setting it back down on the floor. 'I'm not hungry anymore,' She said. 'I think I need to get some rest.'

'Okay then,' Joseph said, getting to his feet. 'I'll take the first watch. You can take over after three.'

. . .

'There was a small fight down the street,' Joseph told Agatha when she woke up. 'Two guys against one girl,' He cocked a serious look at her. 'Need I say more? Don't let yourself be seen, all right?'

There was a small grunt from behind. Abby was murmuring incoherently in her sleep. She had opted to use Honey as a pillow and both of them seemed deep in slumber.

'Cloyster,' Pearl whispered from the doorway. 'Cloy.'

'You're in good hands with Pearl, even though she lacks hands,' Joseph said, nodding. 'Wake me up if you see trouble.'

Agatha sat behind the café counter with Pearl for the rest of the night. She occasionally looked into the kitchen to make sure that her cohorts were still okay, but other than that nothing much happened until about five-thirty. The smoke had lessened, but the streets were still as gaunt and foreboding as the day before. Agatha was stroking Pearl's shell when an odd, gloopy popping sound drew her attention. She tensed up within about three seconds and slowly stood up. There was another pop near one of the tables and this was enough to make Agatha head into the kitchen. 'Joseph,' She hissed. '_Joseph!_'

'Hmm… ?' Joseph grunted. He was sleeping with his back to the wall.

'Joseph, there's something out there,' Agatha whispered rapidly. 'And I think it might be one of those Pokemon!'

Joseph's eyes shot open. He reached for the handgun on his belt and followed Agatha out. 'Where is it?' He asked, his chest panting.

Another pop came from the under table nearest the counter.

'Get ready to shoot.' Agatha ordered. Joseph drew his gun and pointed it at the tablecloth as she approached whatever was underneath. Her hands trembled as she reached for the cloth and she could just make out the shape of something moving behind it.

She planned to yank the tablecloth up and catch the intruder by surprise, but this was soon forgotten when the tablecloth suddenly twitched. The fronds rose up and Agatha suddenly found herself looking into a pair of large, yellow eyes. The small creature's body was made up of gooey, orange lava and ropes of it dangled from the creature's mouth. 'Slugma?' It asked in a slow, dopey voice. 'Sluuuuuuug… ?'

'It doesn't seem aggressive,' Joseph whispered after about a minute. 'What do you think?'

Agatha looked at him. 'Be ready to shoot.' She repeated, then held out her hand.

The creature sniffed her for a few moments and started inching towards her. The air surrounding it was warm and toasty, almost like a campfire. It opened its mouth and clamped it around Agatha's fingers, sucking them steadily. It eventually stopped and spat her fingers out with incredible gentleness and looked up at her.

'Slugma.' It said.

Agatha sighed in relief. 'Well it isn't one of them, that's for sure,' She said. She started stroking the top of the creature's head. The creature squeezed its eyes shut and began to purr. 'And it isn't frightened by humans.'

'I think it's a Slugma,' Joseph said, lowering his gun. 'They're not really native to Johto, but they come here via cargo from the Sevii Islands.'

'What's going on?' Abby called from the kitchen. She walked out rubbing her eyes and yawning. 'Is something wrong?'

'No,' Agatha said and gestured to the Slugma. 'We've just got a visitor, that's all.'

The Slugma slithered forwards. 'Slugma.' It said, eyeing Abby curiously.

'Aw, hello little guy,' Abby cooed. She went back into the kitchen and brought out the unfinished can of ravioli. 'Let's see if it's hungry or not!' She said.

'Abby, I don't think it'll like that –' Agatha began. But no sooner had she voiced her concerns had the Slugma taken the can in its mouth. It tilted its head back and gulped it down, metal and all.

'Slugma!' It chirruped, licking its lips.

Agatha turned to Abby. 'Abby, could you go and see if my trainer kit came with any Pokeballs, please?'

Abby ran into the kitchen again. 'It does,' She called and returned carrying a Pokeball. 'Are you going to take it with us?'

'Yeah, I am,' Agatha nodded. She took the Pokeball and offered it to the Slugma. 'Here, try this.'

The Slugma sniffed the Pokeball, then touched it with its nose. The Pokeball opened up and swallowed the creature using light. Everybody held their breath as the ball shook. But capture was confirmed when the ball let out a loud 'PING!' and became still again.

'What are you going to name it?' Abby chortled.

Agatha shrugged. She wasn't exactly in a position where she could sit around and think of names for a good hour. 'I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl.'

'How about Ravioli?' Joseph suggested.

'Ravioli…' Agatha repeated. 'Yeah, that'll do,' She gave him a wry smile. 'It certainly _looks_ like ravioli sauce, doesn't it?'

They soon realised how lucky Ravioli really was to have run into them. Because as they were preparing to move on two Pokemon came by that were clearly crazy. One of them was a large, black canine with a red muzzle and skeletal horns protruding from its head. The other was a lion-like Pokemon with blue and black fur. Agatha watched them from behind the corner of the doorway. The canine she recalled being referred to as a 'Houndoom', the other a 'Luxray'. She remembered seeing pages on them in _Studying Dangerous Pokemon_.

The Pokemon were both fighting and were covered with spatters of blood. Some of which probably belonged to each other. The Luxray had a human leg in its jaws, its nostrils flaring as it protected its spoils. The leg itself wasn't that big, in fact Agatha reckoned grimly that it was once attached to a young teenager's body. And had Ravioli been out there, then she'd be long gone if either of them had noticed her (or him). The Houndoom snarled and leapt forward, clamping down on the Luxray's back. The Luxray yelped and dropped the human leg, then the Houndoom snapped it up and fled to the east. This only angered the Luxray more. It roared, showing off its bloody teeth, and charged after its rival.

There was an unholy screech a few moments later.

Agatha clutched Ravioli's Pokeball tightly, biting her lip, and suddenly found herself feeling extremely thankful for coming to the café in the first place.


	6. VI

**VI**

**Wednesday, 13****th**** Aug, 7:15 AM**

Joseph found another tin of ravioli at the back of the fridge ('I guess the person who picked this place clean didn't like ravioli very much.' He teased). Then, by stretching the handles, he fashioned a temporary rucksack for Agatha using a plastic bag. She took the ravioli while he opted to carry the Pokéman Lantern in another plastic rucksack he made for himself. 'We _should_ come across a camping store as we go along,' He said while returning Pearl to her Pokeball. 'So we hopefully won't have to lug the bags around with us forever.'

The Houndoom and the Luxray had gone by the time that the three trainers continued their journey. Pillars of smoke still stood tall in the sky, and the scent of soot and ash was almost unbearable. _All it really needs is the smell of brimstone and it'll be like hell._ Agatha thought.

Joseph had convinced Abby to keep Melody in her Pokeball for the time being. She almost clung to Agatha as they walked, looking over her shoulder nervously on the odd occasion.

They did eventually find a camping store, but like most other places in Goldenrod this one had been completely ransacked. They traded the plastic bags for some small backpacks (**EVERYTHING MUST GO! NOW 75% OFF!** The sign below two packs proudly flashed at them). Agatha settled for a cheap, baby-blue pack while Joseph went for a black one. 'I never cared for the appearance of things,' He told her. 'If it can do the job properly, then I don't mind what it looks like.'

Getting through Helix Avenue was tricky. Cars littered the streets and some, to Agatha's horror, had bodies in the drivers' and passengers' seats. One person had tried to scramble out of their vehicle, but had only gotten halfway onto the tarmac before the upper half had been torn apart. The lower body was still there, frozen in time with the legs set in a crawling position. Most of the blood had dried but the pungent smell of flesh made the trek difficult to manage.

'Do you think there are any other people still out here?' Abby asked when they switched onto Rhydon Street.

'I don't know,' Agatha replied absentmindedly. 'Maybe, maybe not, we'll just have to find out.'

Human presence eventually made itself known. There was a lady wandering around near the street which led to the route gate. She was a lithe looking thing with a yellow vest and a pink skirt. She almost looked like a ghost, considering how pale she was and each step she took was slow and quiet. Joseph called to her and she looked at the three with fawn-like eyes. Then she bolted, shaking her head as she ran into the dark alleyways behind her.

Abby kept looking back as they passed onwards. 'Shouldn't we try to help her?'

Joseph shook his head. 'Some people don't want to be helped,' He said. 'She's probably one of them.'

_Her and several other thousand people across Johto…_ Agatha thought to herself.

. . .

There was a nasty shock waiting for the group when they approached the gate. What they'd expected was a camp where officers (and probably the military) would be waiting to escort them to safety.

What stood before them were the remains of a mini holocaust.

Blackened and charred bodies littered the area, and the Gym next door was still on fire. Orange flames peeked out from where the sliding glass doors used to be, having imploded due to the heat. The remains of a marquee tent fluttered in the breeze, the white rags clinging to the naked frame like ribbons of flesh on a skeleton. There were Pokemon corpses as well, but most of these had been maimed so badly that they couldn't be identified. 'Holy shit…' Joseph whispered.

Abby started crying. Agatha just stood in shock at the destruction. This, without a doubt, was one of the worse things she'd seen so far. In fact the massacre was second only to seeing what was left of Abby's mother's innards. She suddenly thought about her parents and wished that she was with them. At least she'd be far, far away from this horrific scene.

'What are we going to do now?!' Abby wailed.

Agatha instinctively knelt down and hugged the little girl, eyes gleaming with tears.

'We can't stay here,' Joseph managed to say. 'W-We should keep going. Maybe there's another camp at the National Park or something.'

Agatha doubted that. In fact she was sure that the military was probably going to abandon the area at this rate. But memories of her parents taunted her mind. 'We can still get to Olivine on foot,' She said, trying to calm Abby down. 'It'll take longer, but we can still do it.'

Abby didn't respond. She just stood there biting her lip and clenching her fists together when Agatha broke the embrace.

The mood was charged with tension as they picked their way through the corpses. Some of them, like with the people in the cars, had been attempting to crawl away. Their hands were set so that they looked like they were reaching out to her. She clutched the knife in her hand tightly, ready to strike if one of them turned out to be alive and began grabbing at her heels. They soon came across the cause of the massacre: a large dragon lay sprawled out near the gym surrounded by a nest of debris. Bullet holes peppered the lizard's orange skin and its wings had been twisted out of joint. She could just make out one of the membranes protruding from underneath the scales at an awkward, painful angle. It stared at them with blank, fish-like eyes, its mouth wide and agape. Agatha wondered how many people it had killed with its dagger-like teeth.

'They must've had to bring that Charizard down with a hailstorm of ammo.' Joseph murmured, probably to himself.

'It probably burnt everything in its path,' Agatha agreed. 'I just hope some people made it out all right.'

Abby let out another small whimper.

The route gatehouse was, miraculously enough, mostly intact. One of the counters had been overturned, having chipped the tiled floor. But it almost looked like it had been spared the gore in Goldenrod. Someone had written something on the walls behind the ruined counter in black marker and all three looked up at it from afar. 'GOLDENROD IS DEAD HEAD TO OLIVINE ON FOOT' had been scrawled in large letters and, written in smaller letters underneath: 'George, don't let other Pokemon bite yours! Someone's Charizard got bit and went insane. Completely incinerated the military's camp. Meet me in Ecruteak! – Lucy'.

'Well, there's hope,' Joseph said, rubbing the back of his neck. 'At least we're not the only ones thinking of getting out of here.'

Agatha nearly opened her mouth to say: 'Us and probably everybody who's died in the city so far.' but thought better of it. Right now all she wanted to do was get as far away from Goldenrod as possible.

Abby seemed to be in the same mind-set. 'Can we keep going now?' She whined. 'I don't wanna stay here anymore.'

It was quite hazy on Route 35 and the temperature had dropped considerably. This was probably due to the fact that nothing was burning to the ground. The group opted to keep to the paths rather than take nature trails. The less likely they were to run into crazy Pokemon, the better.

Route 35, from what Agatha remembered from gossip at university, was a place where many young trainers came to fight. This was evident from the occasional corpse the group came across every now and then. They were starting to get used to the bodies now, but Abby's fists still remained clenched. One thing that Agatha noticed that the corpses all had in common was the shattered remains of Pokeballs beside them, just like the man and his Floatzel on the subway train.

There was a scabby, dog-eared sign towards the end of Route 35 that looked like it had been there for years. **THE NATIONAL PARK – JUST A FEW STEPS AWAY!** had been painted in colours that were probably gaudy and attention-grabbing at one stage. Now the letters looked faded, neglected in fact, and the sign was in serious need of repair. 'Well, what do you think,' Joseph asked the girls as they passed it. 'Should we try to get through the park or not?'

'I'm fine with it if you guys are.' Agatha said.

Abby nodded. 'Yeah.'

The entrance to the National Park looked like it had seen better days. The building looked incredibly dirty and one of the windows had shattered, splashing the glass with white, jagged patterns. The doors were shut when Joseph approached them, and he took cautious and wary steps. 'Let me do the talking,' He told Agatha and Abby. He rapped the windows with his knuckles. 'Hello?' He called. 'Is anybody in there?'

At first there was nothing, then a muffled, clicking sound. The doors slowly creaked open. But what greeted the travellers wasn't human at all.

A large, brown stag beetle with spiked pincers on its head stomped towards them. It was incredibly tall, almost as tall as Joseph in fact, and Agatha almost stepped back in case it attacked them. But the look in its eyes was calm. It kept its clawed hands on the doors and made the clicking noises by rubbing its rib-like teeth together. 'Pinsir,' It gurgled gently. 'Pinsir.'

'That's a big bug Pokemon!' Abby exclaimed.

The Pinsir responded with a click and showed off something on its arms. There was an indigo band near its left shoulder, and on it in white letters was the name CHARLIE. 'Pinsir,' Charlie greeted. 'Pin, Pinsir.'

'It's very nice to meet you, Charlie,' Abby said and smiled in a way she hadn't done so since her mother's death. She looked up at the others. 'He seems friendly.'

'Pinsir,' Charlie beckoned to the group, looking around nervously. 'Pin, Pinsir.'

'Should we trust him?' Agatha whispered to Joseph.

He nodded. 'He's clearly not one of _them_,' He said. 'I think we'll be all right.'

They followed Charlie inside. The entrance was quite dark, and the crimson carpet and walls certainly didn't help to brighten the room at all. Charlie shut the doors behind them and peeked through all the windows before joining them in the middle of the room. 'Pinsir.' He said.

Agatha looked around. The doors leading to the park had been latched and hastily barricaded with a couple of chairs. There was another door towards the left of the building. This one, however, had been boarded up with wooden planks. The sign in front of it read: POKEATHLON DOME CLOSED DUE TO INACTIVITY.

'Big waste of money, that was,' Joseph remarked when he saw the sign. 'People were too busy training their Pokemon for battle to care about sports.'

Charlie nodded and rolled his eyes as if to say: _'I know what you mean, mate.'_

'Charlie,' Abby began. 'Are there any other people here, or are you on your own?'

Charlie clicked his teeth a couple of times, then pointed at another sign next to the doors with the chairs against them.

This sign read: BUG CATCHING CONTEST TODAY. DON'T MISS OUT!

'Oh,' Abby frowned. 'They were all out there, then?'

Charlie nodded for a second time. 'Pin.'

It was only now that Agatha realised how sore her legs felt. She slumped down against the walls and sighed. 'I don't think I've ever walked this much in my life…'

Abby slumped down next to her. 'Me too.'

'Well, we've been walking since quarter-past-seven, and it's midday now,' Joseph said while checking his watch. 'Yeah, I think it's time for a break.'

They brought out the remaining food and got Ravioli the Slugma to heat it up for them. Then they split the can's contents it into thirds. 'We're going to need more supplies,' Agatha said after she'd finished her share. 'How many days will it take to get to Olivine?'

Joseph sat beside her with his legs crossed. 'On foot? About a week, maybe two if we take it slow and steady.'

Charlie, it seemed, was keeping watch. He did glance at the three occasionally and click at them, but most of his time was spent looking out the windows. 'He's really docile, isn't he?' Abby said to Joseph as they watched him.

'Yeah,' Joseph said. 'They need to be like that to work here, you know.'

Abby's eyes widened with curiosity. 'Really?'

'They've had Guard Pokemon around here since the radio tower incident,' Joseph continued. 'Team Rocket took over the tower about ten years ago. Sent the whole of Johto into panic, it did,' He smiled. 'I was just starting my job as an officer when it happened.'

'I remember that,' Agatha said. 'I was about five,' She laughed nervously. 'People over in Hoenn thought it was the end of the world…'

_And yet the end of the world appeared when nobody expected it to_. She thought to herself bitterly.

Charlie eventually resigned his post and joined them to discuss their next move. 'Okay,' Joseph began. 'Nature paths are out of the question,' He said. 'We could probably go through the park.'

'And what about supplies?' Agatha chipped in. 'We can't exactly go back to Goldenrod or drop in at Violet City at the moment.'

'Maybe Charlie knows where we could find something,' Abby suggested. She turned to the large Pinsir and smiled. 'Is there anywhere we could get some food?'

'Pinsir,' Charlie walked stiffly over to the counter where a stand for maps had been placed. He plucked one out and brought it over to them. They gathered around him as he unfolded it. 'Pinsir.' He said, pointing towards a building to the east.

'Ah, I see,' Joseph said. He placed a finger on a little mark inside the building which had a knife and a fork on it. 'There must be a café or something, then.'

Agatha looked at the map. 'So, we're going to the east?'

'If you're both up to it,' Joseph said. 'We should get going sooner rather than later.'

Abby reached out to Charlie. 'Do you wanna come with us, Charlie?'

Charlie was silent for a moment. He placed a hand on Abby's shoulder and nodded. 'Pinsir.'

Joseph and Charlie dismantled the chair barricade on the doors. Agatha, meanwhile, packed everything up and Abby kept watch on the front doors.

'Oh yeah, I almost forgot,' Abby suddenly said as Agatha helped her with the Trainer's Kit. 'Charlie, make sure that you don't let other Pokemon bite you!'

Charlie tilted his head. 'Pinsir.'

Joseph examined his handgun. 'I'm getting low on bullets,' He said. 'And I don't know if we'll be coming across any more for a while.'

Agatha reached down for the Pokeballs on her belt. 'What about our Pokemon?' She asked.

'I think we should only use our Pokemon if we absolutely have to,' Joseph replied. 'Like, if we come across a Pokemon that's too strong to take down with ammo and knives.'

Abby took Charlie's hand instinctively. The Pinsir looked down at her and smiled by squeezing his eyes shut.

Joseph put his hand on the door and looked at everybody with a serious gaze. 'All right, let's get out of here, then.'


End file.
